Whenever a class begins to study a new part of the world, teachers must deal with students' preexisting ideas about the area. Activities which will challenge elementary students' initial impressions of Australia and encourage them to learn more about the country are described. (RM)

This curriculum unit introduces students in grades K-8 to an important Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead (November 2). The unit provides an overview of the celebration and is divided into two lessons: (1) "Classroom Altar" (with seven typical art and food preparation activities); and (2) "Day of the Dead Procession" (with…

This Digest guides the elementary teacher in choosing accurate and appropriate works of fiction for teaching about Japan. It suggests important content to watch for and includes a checklist of questions to be used when selecting a book. The questions deal with literary qualities, accuracy, authenticity, stereotyping, language, and morals. Contains…

Developed to help young people prepare for 21st-century challenges, this book is part of a project to produce a series of instructional units about German for implementation in K-12 classrooms and to offer staff development activities that facilitate the implementation of these units. This volume's main focus is Germany and social studies, but it…

Suggests methods for teaching about Yugoslavia. Recommends assigning students to maintain journals of news clippings about developments in Yugoslavia. Proposes forming cooperative-learning groups for researching the country's various regions. Offers activities for teaching about language arts, fine arts, reading and literature, religion,…

The various kinds of animals and insects that inhabit or visit a pond community are illustrated and described. Drawings of pond vegetation are included. (BT)

The importance of translated children's books to the literary and cultural development of children is well documented, and the study of other countries is an important part of the school curriculum across grade levels. Therefore, purposes of the research were (1) to share results of research on outstanding translated children's books published…

In this curriculum unit, elementary school children read information about two neighboring countries, Israel and Jordan, to make comparisons not only between the two countries but also about their own neighborhood as well. The unit uses a variety of strategies, from reading and responding to writing prompts, to creative activities, to active video…

Recommends an English children's book series, giving long quotations, and offering appropriate teaching hints for work in area studies. (IFS/WGA)

This book focuses on improving geography skills and knowledge of basic concepts for grades 4-8, through a variety of activities and resources. The book is divided into six sections that combine to make it convenient for use. The sections include: (1) "Map Reading Skills"; (2) "Geography Concepts and Definitions"; (3)…

Included are a teacher's guide and two filmstrips for geography instruction to develop greater environmental awareness. Lesson plans are detailed for an area study emphasizing land and water use. Historical reviews and samples of city master plans for the past and present are included for background information. Two filmstrips are explained in…

This curriculum unit, intended to be used with elementary school students, provides information about two neighboring Middle Eastern countries, Israel and Jordan, to allow comparisons not only between the two countries but also about the students' own neighborhood. The unit presents objectives, strategies, materials needed, background notes,…

To support the hypothesis that much misinformation and many stereotypic attitudes are presented about Africa to elementary school pupils, the article analyzes 10 readers for African content and assesses effects of an African content intervention strategy on elementary school students. (DB)

Eight units which depict the people and geography of Canada are featured in this document. Learning is facilitated through the use of maps, case studies, charts, graphs, sketches, photographs, and drawings which appear throughout the units. To help organize the information four symbols are used to indicate the concepts being explained. The symbol…